1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to resin compositions and films and other molded articles of the resin compositions that have excellent gas barrier properties.
2. Description of the Related Art
Polymers having functional groups such as hydroxyl group in the molecule show various physical properties such as hydrophilicity or adhesiveness derived from the functional groups. Thus, they can be used as, for example, structural components for functional packaging materials, functional molding materials, sheets, films, fibers, coating agents, functional alloys and blends. A variety of such polymers have been synthesized. For example, PCT International Publication No. WO 99/50331 discloses a polymer represented by following Formula (2):
wherein X and Y are each hydroxyl group, carboxyl group, carboxylic ester group, amide group, nitrile group or carbonyl group; R is an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms or aforementioned X; a and b are each an integer of 0 to 6 and the total of a and b is from 2 to 7, prepared by ring-opening metathesis polymerization of a cycloalkene compound containing 7 to 12 carbon atoms and having a functional group, such as 5-cyclooctene-1,2-diol; and a polymer prepared by hydrogenation of the double bond in the molecular chain of the polymer just mentioned above.
Such polymers can be molded by melt process and are very excellent resin materials that show high gas barrier properties at high humidity. In particular, a polymer prepared by hydrogenation of the polymer of Formula (2) in which X and Y are hydroxyl groups is useful as a constitutional component for packaging materials having high oxygen-barrier properties (PCT International Publication No. WO 00/18579).